What xian/religious sayings get on your nerves?
We've had countless discussions on here about the religious colloquialisms and sayings that others say that we tolerate (e.g. many don't mind something like, ("I hope you get better soon - I'll pray for you", or something as simple as "bless you" after a sneeze). But what about the other end of the spectrum?
What are the xian, or religious for that matter, sayings that drive you crazy or get under your skin? For instance, here are a couple of mine...
- When a religious person sees another who is down on his luck, or has had some tragedy, or is simply "not as good as" the religious person and they say, "There but for the grace of god go I". How pompous and sanctimonious, not to mention cruel and selfiish
- Sports figures, actors, etc. who go through the histrionics of thanking god when something great happens to them. What, did god hate the other players/competitors?
You get the idea.
Can't wait to read your thoughts on this!
Tags: Sayings
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Benjamin Miller on -
"We are using the same data, we just have different interpretations" saith the creationist to the heathen.
I, the heathen, typically respond something akin to "Assuming that we are looking at the same data, has it ever occurred to you that you shouldn't start with a conclusion and force the data to fit the conclusion?" The typical creationist response is "You start with the conclusion that the Earth is 4.6 billion years old and life evolved because you don't believe in God. . ." It is difficult, from this point on, to explain how the scientific method works, and how "beliefs" like the old earth are reasonably supported claims, not conclusions or assumptions, and that there is much evidence for biological evolution. It is equally frustrating to show (prove, I suppose) that I did not start with these "conclusions". I had to see the data for myself in peer reviewed journals and text books. I may just stop arguing with creationists. It is tiring.
Or how about "You have just as much faith as I do", "Do you have faith in anything", or "Can't you just believe?" I could write pages about these alone, so I'll spare us the TL;DR.
Another one that gets on my nerves, as it does so many, is the ubiquitous "What would Jesus Do?"
Oh, I don't know for sure, but he sure as hell wouldn't store up riches for himself. Didn't he advocate selling all of ones possessions as the way to perfection? Sorry, I suppose that means you can forget about that private jet and big house, huh?
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Permalink Reply by Halidom on -
Ben a heathen is not an atheist it was usually referred to tribes that had their own god outside of the main religions. The scientific method is easy to understand. Someone comes up with a theory and a large group try to prove or disprove the theory. Galileo had his theory about gravity but in his day they didn't have rockets. So his theory that anything that went up came back down was wrong. For it's time it was correct. I imagine many of today's theories will fail the test in the future. As far as proofs about evolution there are many. Darwin did not say god had anything to do with it.
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Permalink Reply by Rocky Oliver (LotusGeek) on -
regarding heathen - I disagree quite strongly, and the "official" resources bear out my beliefs. As have many other words, the meaning of "heathen" has shifted - so much so that today the "common" or "slang" use has become the official meaning, i.e. heathen == nonreligious or atheist.
Just to verify that my thoughts were right on this, I did some checking here are my results - at least the top examples:
Google Definition (found by searching for "definition heathen" on G...
Noun:A person who does not belong to a widely held religion (esp. one who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim) as regarded by those who do.
TheFreeDictionary.com defintion for "heathen"
1. Offensive
a. One who adheres to the religion of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam.b. Such persons considered as a group; the unconverted.1: an unconverted member of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of the Bible1. an unconverted individual of people that do not acknowledge the God of the Bible; a person who is neither a Jew, Christian, nor Muslim;So, I think everyone should stop busting the chops of anyone using the term "heathen" to refer to the nonreligious.They're right.
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Permalink Reply by Rocky Oliver (LotusGeek) on
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As I just reread my response I think it could come across as brusk at the beginning - and I apologize for that, Halidom. I know that your statement about heathen was done as basically an aside, and was not the major part of your response.
So, please do not take offense, as none was intended. I just wanted to put my thoughts - and proof - out there about the term heathen. In fact, I have started a new discussion about it so we don't muddy the waters here with my sidetrack.
Move along, you looky-loos, mooove along... ;)
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Permalink Reply by Len on -
You could try saying that you start with no prior assumptions and just follow the evidence. And that he should do the same - ie, don't start with the assumption of God, etc.
Penn Jillette said it well (paraphrase from memory): If all religious things were to disappear, then people would re-invent them differently. If all scientific knowledge were to disappear, then it would all be re-discovered to be exactly the same.
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Permalink Reply by SteveInCO on -
Make him aware that scientists too used to believe the world was young. When biologists put forth the theory of evolution, the common _scientific_ argument against it was that the earth simply wasn't old enough for it to have happened. Even when geologists started to agree that it was, the astronomers and physicists said no, on the grounds that the sun could not be that old. Nuclear fusion had to be discovered before that issue was settled.
Far from "starting with" 4.6 billion years as the age of the earth, science had to be slowly convinced of it.
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Permalink Reply by Edward Nygma on -
2 Corinthians 5:7:
"We live by faith, not by sight."
I've seen it all over religious merchandise, and it's profoundly irritating.
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Permalink Reply by Nichelle Wrenn on -
I have actually have gotten some of close coworkers to stop saying 'bless you' to me. But for that you have to be out at work, which can cause it's own set of issues. But what drives me nuts is "Maybe "insert good thing here" would happen if you believed." But at least they leave me alone because they have realized I know more about their own religion then they do...
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Permalink Reply by Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum on -
"It's not a religion, it's a relationship" is definitely one of the most annoying to me.
"God is good (all the time), all the time (God is good)"
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Permalink Reply by Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum on
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Oh, and anything with the words "presupposition", "worldview", "postmodern" or "the world (as in society)"
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Permalink Reply by Robert E. on -
"Have a blessed day," gets on my nerves. One person in particular that I work with drives me insane. Every thing to him is blessed this and blessed that. Today for example he proclaimed that "God has really blessed us with such nice weather today." Then says about someone " God has really blessed them with such a wonderful voice." On and on and on. He even bows his head and thanks the lord when he gets a cup of water out of the water cooler and says how blessed we are to have good tasting cold water to quence our thirsts. Gets on my nerves!
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